The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-08
Grating the Peach.

Mr.. w. n. Davis, of Lake City, Fla. has
an interesting article in the Florida Dis
patch on grating the peach. He says that
he has been for more than twenty years en-
gagged in the culture of the peach. sNIy
preference" he says, sis grating, not bud
ding, above ground. Given a healthy stock
one year old or ten years old, can emf off
the top and in single growing season Sc
cure new top of any desired variety of
peach When the old top is taken off the
large wounds have to be coated over with
grating wax and twigs half the size of the
little finger and smaller left to receive the
gratis. The small limbs are to be- cut
smoothly off and split half an inch deep
putting the knife in the centre of the stock.
Care must be taken to remove any dormant
bud on the stock near where the graft is to
be put in. The reason for this is that thu
wax wrap used in coating the connectip,
parts will be pried loose by any such bud.
The graftSne to be merely short wedges,
not having more than two eyes or buds on
each of them. When the end of graft il
cut off a cap of grating wax must be care
fully put over it to keep the sap from drying
out. This is very important Where the
graft is an end piece of the switch it needs
no wax cap. OF course it is desirable to
have the graft and stock of the same size,
but if one be larger let it be the stock and
the bark of the graft must rest against that
of the stock on one side, or on both sides
where the two are of similar size. To in
sure growth the end of the stock should be
wrapped with thread before the wax is put
Oh.
"Grafting wax should be pretty hard fol
our climate. 1t is made of tar or turpentir
and wax, with the addition of little tallo.
1t is to be warmed and worked by the fe
till in proper case and then put on secury.
1t should be hard enough to resist the eat
till the first of May
1T is to be remembered that peach rats
are not easy to grow. In a sense the1muSt
be compelled to grow. This is donRy al
lowing no growth on the stock exceP in the
graft or gratis. l say CRAFTS, becau5 where
a large tree is topped for new fruGit is de-
sirable to put in many CRAFTS so = to make
fine, symmetrical top i'll one Jason. So
every bud on the old stock must cut away
SO soon as life is seen in it.
''Ihe grating can be done 5 soon as the
leaves fall from tree, and evn cold win
ter following does not appAr to do any
harm to the gratis. In proc, had large
tree grated as here described early in the
winter before the great freeze. In thespring
the growth was quite satisfactory.
Where grating is doe below the frost
line late in the fall is ;good time, it may
be done before the leave are off young trees
and the gratis will beqn to grow at once.
But freeze-it so happened with me-will
kill, not only these fal gratis, but the stocks
as we'll
ION the whole, l regard the graft as SUI
perior to a bud, it nay be termed adorDnant
bud. To show mypreferenco for it, in my
garden every peach tree but one is graft.
On some trees | have several kinds of peaches.
do not pretend that the wedge graft is the
best, but it is simple, and my success in its
use is so good that no other method appears
necessary